Downs seeks highway drainage improvements from state

A problem area for motorists in Ruidoso Downs when it rains, especially during heavy precipitation, may get some attention from the New Mexico Transportation Department. Ruidoso Downs City Councilor Judy Miller said the storm water collection system east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 70 and New Mexico Highway 48 (know locally as the Y) has forever needed attention.

"All of us know the drainage has failed to work on Highway 70 almost ever since it was built or redone," Miller said. "Is there any way we can request the state to fix the drainage on Highway 70?"

City Public Works Department Director Cleatus Richards said the New Mexico Department of Transportation has been contacted.

"I have sent a letter to Bob Kurtz (NMDOT District 2, which includes Lincoln County) requesting that they review it."

Miller said the state must step in to resolve the problem.

"The drainage was never put in right and never has worked," Miller said.

Richards agreed and called the current set up "very inadequate."

The highway was redone more than 10 years ago, including being widened to five lanes through the city. An effort to improve storm water collection was added about four years ago.

Kurtz said a maintenance person with the department, told him a Sept. 7 storm delivered substantial rain.

"We talking about some large drainage structures probably to address that kind of a facility," Kurtz said.

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"We really don't have anything budgeted right now. The (NMDOT) district suggested to the city of Ruidoso Downs that they could submit something through the SERPO (Southeast Regional Planning Organization) meeting, a project, and possibly if it was ranked high enough we could get it in the STIP (State Transportation Improvement Program)."

SERPO reviews transportation enhancement proposals requested by local governments in the southeastern quarter of the state.

"But right now we don't have anything budgeted in that area," Kurtz reiterated.

The worst of the drainage problems have been on the highway in the area of Jorge's Café and Ruidoso Ford-Lincoln.

"Nasty areas," Mayor Gary Williams said when there is rain. "The last storm we had coming in through there, all lanes were waist high. And plus, it went into people's commercial properties too."

Kurtz said he wrote in a letter to the city that the agency is aware of the problem when there is heavy rain.

"We did promise the city we'd try to go in and make sure all those (storm collection) structures are cleaned up. And the other we can do, we have some drop inlets farther west of the 'Y' like in front of Bealls, in that area. We're going to maybe see if we can build some slight mounds in that area around the drop inlets so the water is directed to those drop inlets."

Richards said flooding on Highway 70 has been a recurring situation. And Miller said there are other sections of the highway that also needs drainage fixes.

"I've been trying to do something," Kurtz said. "There's been some slight ponding in front of Big O Tires. The water doesn't quite get to the corner. I'm going to try to do something there too."